KEY POINTS

  • Prince William and Kate Middleton packed on PDA when they visited Barry Island
  • A royal etiquette expert said that there are no rules prohibiting the royal couple from showing public display of affection
  • The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's birthday greeting to Markle received mixed reactions from Twitter

Kate Middleton and Prince William rarely show public display of affection but they did so on their recent outing and even shared some evidence on social media.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are not as tactile as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, but in rare cases they couldn't get their hands off each other. On Wednesday, Prince William and Middleton dropped by at an arcade that has been closed for months during their visit to Barry Island. They tried their luck on some of the games and shared a sweet photo from their outing on Instagram. In the snap, the duchess is seen resting a hand on her husband's back as he plays the claw machine.

"Thank you Wales for the lovely reception yesterday," the caption read.

"It was great to see communities and businesses starting to get back up and running, following a difficult few months for the tourism industry and the wider economy."

Their PDA didn't go unnoticed to fans who were always on the lookout for their sweet gestures in public.

"It’s nice to see a little tender affection between ... William and Katherine," downknowsall commented.

"How lovely to see Will and Kate having a go at this! I don’t think I have ever ‘won’ anything on one of these!! :)" another added.

"PERFECT ROYAl COUPLE," a different user stated.

"Awww look how sweet they are together," sandym1952 commented.

"Love them as a couple. Perfect to carry the Royals through the future," scharpy wrote.

Myka Meier, a royal etiquette expert and founder of Beaumont Etiquette, previously told People that there are no formal rules when it comes to the royal couple showing PDA. It just depends on the couple’s discretion.

"It is rare to see royal couples holding hands on official outings," she explained.

"While we are much less likely to see [Kate and Prince William] holding hands in public, we often see Prince Charles and The Duchess of Cornwall holding hands — it’s all simply a matter of preference for each couple and is also likely dependent on the nature of the event they are attending. A more serious engagement would warrant a more serious level of professionalism, which each royal is sure to follow.”

Meanwhile, Prince William and Middleton greeted Markle on her birthday on Tuesday. However, their birthday greeting received mixed reactions from Twitter users. Some praised them for extending an olive branch to the Sussexes while other netizens called them bullies and hypocrites for not treating Markle well when she was still living near them.

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Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attend a reception to mark the UK-Africa Investment Summit at Buckingham Palace on Jan. 20, 2020 in London, England. Yui Mok - WPA Pool/Getty Images